Welcome to History Tour

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Washington Hall Mural

Tour stop audio transcript

Welcome to the History of West Point Tour! Here, you'll learn about the Academy's over 200-year tradition of developing leaders who go on to create a positive impact in the world. Speaking of leaders, we're here in the cadet mess hall, and behind me is a mural depicting several famous military leaders including William the Conqueror, Joan of Arc, and Alexander the Great. But there's one military leader whose name echoes through the halls of West Point more than any other. Colonel Sylvanus Thayer. At West Point we have a Thayer Memorial, a Thayer Hall, a Thayer Award, and our campus is even located on Thayer Road. Why are there so many dedications for Colonel Thayer? They recognize his profound and lasting legacy on the United States Military Academy. Colonel Thayer is known as the "Father of the Military Academy," and his educational philosophy still drives academics on our campus today. Known as the "Thayer Method," it suggests that students should take responsibility for their education and must come to class having studied the topic and with questions prepared, so that the discussion can deepen and clarify their understanding. The goal is to create proactive learners; to teach us how to think, not what to think.

Camp Buckner

Tour stop audio transcript

The summer training camp for the United States Military Academy, which was originally located at the site of Fort Clinton, was moved to the World War II training camp at Lake Popolopen, Orange County, New York on 21 April 1942. Renamed Camp Buckner on 14 Nov 1945 after General Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr. former commandant of cadets at the United States Military Academy, who was killed in action during the battle for Okinawa in World War II. Today, West Point Military Complex consists of Camp Buckner and Camp Natural Bridge, various training areas and ranges, and a hub at Washington Hall, to provide modernized and adaptable capabilities that enhance our ability to educate, train, and inspire cadets to innovate, lead, and succeed in tomorrow's increasingly complex multi-domain operating environment.

Jefferson Hall (Rings)

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The Jefferson Hall library is brimming with history, but not just in books. Here you can find a display of West Point Class Rings from many of our notable graduates. Since 1835, the West Point Ring Ceremony has been a customary tradition, highlighting the achievement of "Firsties" who reach their senior year at West Point. Apart from the Classes of 1836 and 1869, every class has conducted this ceremony to represent the unity of the Long Gray Line. Traditionally, the ring is worn with the class crest toward the heart before graduation, and then switch to the academy crest toward the heart afterward.

Thayer Award Room

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We're standing inside the Thayer Award Room of Taylor Hall, one of the Academy's crown jewels. Since 1958, the West Point Association of Graduates has presented the Sylvanus Thayer Award to an outstanding citizen of the United States whose service and accomplishments in the national interest exemplify personal devotion to the ideals expressed in the West Point Motto "Duty, Honor, Country." The Thayer Award Room houses the portraits of every recipient and provides an elegant background for ceremonial occasions. Completed in 1910 and named after General Maxwell Taylor, Taylor Hall is home to the Office of the Superintendent and the Office of the Dean. The structure is a classic example of "collegiate gothic" architecture, and at 180 feet tall, it is the tallest all-stone masonry building in the world.

Cullum Hall

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Cullum Hall was funded by the will of and named for Brevet Major General George Washington Cullum, Class of 1833. The building became a memorial repository to honor deceased graduates through portraits, sculptures, and plaques. Designed by noted architect, Stanford White, this Greek Revival style building is outfitted with a dance floor and several beautiful receiving rooms for formal occasions. Cullum Hall sits directly across the road from Doubleday Field. The New York Yankees occasionally played exhibition games there in the 1920s, and cadet legend says that Babe Ruth once hit a home run off the roof of Cullum Hall, but conventional wisdom says that there probably isn't any truth to the claim.

You are now on the 11th point on the tour1 trail coming from Cullum Hall on your way to Chapels.

Nininger Hall

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We're at the last remaining structure from the old Central Barracks, Nininger Hall, which was traditionally home to the highest-ranking cadet. Here Pershing, MacArthur, Wainwright, Westmoreland, Dawkins, and even Patton were quartered due to their position in the Corps of Cadets. Originally built in 1882, the structure is named for Lt. Alexander R. Nininger, Jr., the first Medal of Honor recipient of World War II, posthumously awarded for gallantry in the defense of the Philippines in 1942. Today the building houses the Simon Center for the Professional Military Ethic.

Uniform Factory

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On November 28, 1815, The Long Line of West Point Graduates was set on its way to permanently becoming 'Gray.' The designation is derived from a uniform request that the Academy's Inspector (and first graduate), Brigadier General J.G. Swift, Class of 1802, made to Secretary of War W.H. Crawford. It read, "I have the honor to enclose a description of the Uniform and undress for the Cadets, which has been grey for the last fifteen months—cloth of this color looks military… As the price of this Uniform, $18 to $20, better suits the finances of Cadets than one of Blue would—I recommend that the uniform be confirmed." Washington's "approbation" was received on 4 September, 1816, and the garb, with "three rows of eight yellow gilt bullet buttons in front", became the parent pattern for today's Full Dress uniform. West Point's Cadet Uniform Factory (or CUF) is responsible for maintaining the traditional look of the Long Gray Line. The factory, brought formally into existence by an act of Congress in 1878, operates under regulation 10 USC 4340. CUF Manager Joe Weikel describes its mission: "to manufacture and supply uniforms and services to the Corps of Cadets at cost. The cadets purchase these uniforms. We cut, sew, alter, and repair these garments and provide those services to the cadets at cost."

Visitor Center

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The West Point Visitors Center provides an excellent starting point for visitors to the United States Military Academy. The current Visitors Center, which opened in 1989 on the site of the former Ladycliff College Library, provides education and information to the public about the Academy and its surroundings. Nearly 3 million people visit West Point each year, which makes it one of the top three tourist attractions in New York. The West Point Museum is the oldest, largest, and most-diversified public collection of military memorabilia in the Western Hemisphere. Its collection began with captured British materials brought to West Point after the British defeat at Saratoga in 1777. Today it represents the culmination of more than two centuries of preserving our military heritage. The museum contains some of our nation's most interesting national military treasures and one of the finest collections of military small arms available for public viewing.

Quarters 100

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The largest and most extensive living quarters on campus is the Superintendent's house, also called Quarters 100. These quarters were first envisioned by Major Sylvanus Thayer, then a Captain, who arrived the summer of 1817, and soon thereafter determined that his assigned quarters were inadequate. His funds request for the construction of the superintendent's quarters was approved two years later, and construction of the Federalist-style building was complete in 1820. Since that time, all West Point Superintendents and their families have resided there and overseen several renovations and additions through the years. Nearly every distinguished visitor who has visited West Point, from U.S. presidents to foreign monarchs, to popular culture icons, have been invited to the Superintendent's quarters.

Kościuszko's Garden

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Kościuszko's Garden is a small retreat garden built by Tadeusz Kościuszko here on a cliff face, overlooking the Hudson River. First constructed in 1778, it still offers visitors and cadets a place of quiet tranquility during the warmer months. General Kościuszko was a Polish officer, who is known for designing the defenses for the West Point garrison from 1778–1780 during the height of the Revolutionary War. This was a critical undertaking, as George Washington considered West Point to be the most important military post in America.

Fort Putnam

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Here we are at Fort Putnam, one of the many Revolutionary War fortifications that still dot the more remote landscape of the academy grounds. Some have been nearly fully restored, as Fort Putnam has. Built in 1778, it was the key fortification in the network of forts and redoubts that made up West Point's defense against the British. Exhibits in the West Point Museum fully explain Fortress West Point's crucial role in the American War for Independence. From Fort Putnam, you can see most of West Point and the surrounding Hudson River Valley. There is no charge to visit. The fort is only open for limited hours between May and September each year; you can call the West Point Museum to check the current visiting hours.

WP Cemetery

Tour stop audio transcript

Located on the bluff once known as German Flats, the West Point Cemetery is the final resting place of more than 8,000 souls. There is a lot of history at the cemetery; Revolutionary War Soldiers and local residents were buried here even before it officially became a military cemetery in 1817. In addition to the 24 Medal of Honor recipients and leaders of every American war who are buried here, others who make this cemetery a popular place to visit for history buffs are notables such as General H. Norman Schwarzkopf Jr., commander of coalition forces in the Gulf War; and Lt. Col. Edward Higgins White II, the first American to make a spacewalk, who was killed in the Apollo 1 fire in 1967.

Buffalo Soldier Field

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In 1907, a detachment of the 9th Cavalry was assigned to West Point to support Cadet riding instruction and mounted drill, which was conducted on the ground now called Buffalo Soldier Field, formerly known as the Cavalry Plain. In addition to giving riding instruction, the black soldiers performed guard duty for the post, and served as orderlies. In 1931, the U.S. Military Academy's Cavalry Detachment was replaced by the 2nd Squadron, 10th Cavalry, which remained at West Point until its deactivation in 1946. West Point is committed to ensuring that the student body, and the Army Officer Corps, is racially, ethnically, and geographically diverse and reflects the composition of our nation.

Chapels

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The Cadet Chapel is a world-famous landmark, the most-recognizable structure on West Point. Its powerful architectural theme has driven the design of all the other buildings at West Point. The Cadet Chapel organ dates from 1911 and is the largest church organ in the world. The chapel has spectacular stained-glass windows, and the great sanctuary window is inscribed with the academy motto, "Duty, Honor, Country." The first pew features silver plates engraved with the signatures of previous superintendents, such as Generals MacArthur, Taylor, and Westmoreland. Take a look at the supplemental media panel for more information about the Catholic and Jewish Chapels. In addition to religious support, West Point offers a wide variety of diversity, inclusion, and special interest clubs and organizations. We believe that a diverse Corps of Cadets will result in a better education for everyone, and a better U.S. Army Officer Corps.

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